Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The: 4 accused in alleged blackjack scam

Four California residents shuffled into the Brown County Jail during the weekend after being accused of swindling $100,000 from a widow in a rigged blackjack game, according an FBI affidavit made public Monday.

A Lor Hang knew all along the game was fixed but did not find out until too late that the joke was on her, the affidavit said.

Charged in criminal complaints with conspiracy to commit wire fraud were Seng Xiong, also known as Bee Lee, 37; Steve V. Moua, 28; Amanda K. Chou, 32; and Edward R. Clark, 32. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Sickel ordered them held in the Brown County Jail pending a court appearance Wednesday in federal court in Milwaukee. Hang, a self-described wealthy widow who lives in Darboy in Outagamie County, at first told Appleton police that the $100,000 was a straightforward gambling loss, according to an affidavit by FBI Agent Patrick Lynch. "She was embarrassed to tell the truth," he said. Eventually, Hang told Appleton police and the FBI that the card con started in January, when she got a call from an Asian man who identified himself as Bee Lee. The two met after several phone calls, then socialized for three days before Bee Lee asked Hang to play in a card game. The two drove to a Grand Chute hotel, where she played blackjack with two other people, a woman and a man. Another person, who called himself Shawn, also was present. "Shawn gave A Lor Hang $4,000 and told her that he would be dealing," the affidavit says. "Shawn further stated that he would rig the game and give her predetermined signals so that she could win." The stakes increased rapidly, until a hand was dealt that gave Hang 21 and another player 20. "A Lor Hang, however, needed additional funds to match the stakes and was told she would have to produce $100,000 in cash," the affidavit says. Hang made the rounds of various branches of F&M Bank in an effort to find the money. Eventually, she got what she needed and returned to the game. She won the hand. "But then, Shawn stopped giving her hand signals," the affidavit says. "Shortly thereafter, she lost all $100,000 as part of the supposedly rigged game." Authorities did not say which of the defendants portrayed Shawn in the alleged scam. Hang reported the loss to Appleton police and the FBI, and Bee Lee and his colleagues were arrested last week when they returned to the area from Las Vegas.